Improvement in furnaces for desulphurizing ores



2Sheefs.-SheetlI E. C. HEGELER4 8L F. W. MATTHIESSEN.

Furnaces for Desulphurizing Dres.

Patented Nov. 25, 1873.

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EDWARD C. HEGELER AND FREDERICK W. MATTHIESSEN, OF LA SALLE,

l ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACES FOR DESULPHURIZING ORVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,904, dated November25, 1873; application filed September 14, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD C. HEGELER and FREDERICK W. MATTHrEssEN, ofLa Salle, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Vertical-Shaft Furnace forDesulphurizing Ores; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, refe-rence being had tothe accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 represents a front elevation, partly in section, of ourimproved verticalLshaft furnace. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly insection, of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same, showing amodification in the form of the ore-supporting plates.` Fig. 4 is avertical transverse section of the same, and Fig. 5 a horizontalsection.

This invention relates to a new construction of the vertical-shaftfurnace for desulphurizing, calcining, and drying in the same, ores orother substances, when in a fine or powdered state.

The use of the verticalshaft furnace for treating ores or othersubstances in contact with gases, when ores are in lumps, is well known,the common lime-kiln being an example. Such shaft-furnaces are verticalchambers filled with the ore or other material, in lumps, from bottom totop. Ready treated material is taken out from the bottom, which causes adescent of the whole column of ore in proportion to the amount removed,while the shaft is kept lled with fresh raw material at the top. At thesame time hot gases pass through the spaces between the lumps of thematerial from the bottom to the top. If the ore is in line or powderedstate it does not allow the passage of such air or gases. To make thepassage of the gases through the fine ore in contact with same possible,while retaining all the features of the old known vertical-shaftfurnace, as above specilied, is the object of this invention.

Others have overcome the difficulty of the passage of the gases throughthe ne ore by letting the ore trickle or rain down the shaft, puttingobstructions into the shaft to retard the fall. They place a feedingapparatus at the top of the shaft to cause this trickling. As

soon as the feeding ceases the shaft will be emptied of ore in a fewmoments, the passage of the ore from the top to the bottom lasting onlythat long. The ore cannot be kept stationary in said shaft in contactwith the gases. By our invention the ore rests stationary on inclinedzigzag plates arranged in the shaft,- gradually settling only when oreisremoved or allowed to ow out from the bottom plates. An apparatuscontrolling this outflow is placed at the bottom.

This hitherto-unused process is effected in our invention by forming andsupporting a column of ore or other material in a zigzag form or line,and maintaining it stationary as long as may be necessary to subject itto the action of heated gases, and causing it to descend when required.

Ve construct vertical series of inclined plates, forming troughs, fromthe bottom of the furnace to the top. When the inclined plate or troughat the bottom of the column is empty, the ore of the trough next aboveit flows down into it until it is filled, and this process takes placealong the whole column of inclined plates or troughs to the top of thefur nace, where the reservoir is placed. The removal of the ore from thebottom trough causes a simultaneous movement of the ore from each troughabove to the one below, and a sliding of the ore takes place along thewhole column to the top reservoir of the furnace, and from the reservoirinto the uppermost trough, and this movement is arrested or madecontinuous, just as the -bottom trough is allowed toremain full or beemptied. The inclined plates are also so constructed as to allow thepassage of the ascending heated gases under and next to the column ofore, where the heat is applied most eife'c'tually in contact with theore in the trough.r Finally, the invention consists in a modication ofthe position of the plates with the use of conducts or pockets along theinner walls of the furnace for conveying the gases from one horizontalpassage to the other around and over the several layers of ore.

In Figs. l and 2 of the drawing, which we will rst proceed to describe,the letter A represents the furnace-shaft of suitable size and material.B is the fireplace formed at the loWer part of the shaft for the supplyof calcining, desulphurizing, or drying gases, which are to permeate theore in the shaft. G C are troughs formed of inclined plates, arrangedthroughout the shaft A in horizontal rows of alternating slope, as isclearly indicated by the dotted .lines in Fig. 1. The bottom of theshaft is formed by bucketwheels D D, whose horizontal shafts E E aregeared together and in connection with a clock-Work, F. G is thependulum for the clock-work. It is connected with a suitable escapement,a, to detain the rotation of the wheels D, which would become very rapidWithout such detaining devices. In place of the pendulum, a springconnection with the escapement may be established.

The ore to be treated is dumped on the top row of inclined plates in theshaft A, the top of which forms a reservoir, and gradually works its waydown to the wheels D, resting meanwhile in thin layers in the troughs ofinclined plates C C. Above every layer of ore is ample air-space for thepassage of the gases which ascend from the furnace B, and act upon theore in the desired manner. rlhe ore resting on the buckets of theovcrshot-wheels D, constitutes the motive power of the clock-work, andtends to turn those wheels, and thereby effects lits liberation. Thevelocity of discharge is regulated by the pendulum and escapement. Theore, after having been exposed to the gases, is thus formally dischargedfrom the buckets of the wheels D. The plates C C being arranged inindependent vertical columns, several kinds of ore or material can bepassed through the furnace-shaft independent of each other, or severalkinds of gases may be allowed to ascend, independent of each other, toaffect the columns of ore or other matter in different manner. b b areopenings in the sides of the shaft A for the admission ofstirring-tools, or for the admission or escape of air or gases, as maybe found convenient.

The modification shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 consists chiefly in thesubstitution of inverted V-shaped plates C in place of the plaininclined plates C, above described. There are also shown pockets d dapplied at the ends of the gas-passages for conduct-ing the gas from onepassage to the next above, and thus letting it pass through the shaft inzigzag course. We close the openings b by fine ore in place of usingdoors in the same.

Considerable difficulty was experienced in constructing the pocketswhich convey the gases from one horizontal row of V-shaped plates to thenext upper row of sufficient size, and at the same time thestirring-openin gs in the side of such a shape that all parts of theVplates could be reached. This problem was solved by supporting one endof one row of plates on projections on one of the side walls, and theother end of the same row of plates not on the other side wall, but onthe next lower row of plates, giving' the plates at the same time adiamond shape. Alternate rows of plates have their wall-support onalternate side walls.

Ve do not claim desulphurizing ores by letting them fall through ashaft, where they meet the products of combustion 5 neither do we claima series of terraces arranged in the shaft to retard the fall of theores.

We claim as our inventionl. The furnace-shaft A, provided with zign zagcolumns of troughs G C containing and supporting the ore, withsufficient opening at the bottom of each trough to allow the ore toslide through to the trough. below, as described above, for the purposestherein. set forth.

2. The modified form of the troughs, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, forsame purposes, as in claim l.

3. rlhe provision` or arrangement, in the shaft A, of the gas-passages,through which the desulphurizing-gases pass under and in close contactwith the columnpof ore, stationary or in movement, as above described.

4. The air passages l d, as shown in Fig. 3, in connection with themodified form of the troughs, shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, the descent ofthe material on which is caused by au apparatus removing said materialat the bottom of said furnace.

5. The revolving overshot wheels D, arranged in relation to the bottomtroughs of each ore-column, as and for the purpose specified.

6. The overshot-wheel D, for the purpose specified, revolved by theweight of the ore which it receives into its buckets, and coutrolled inits revolutions by the pendulum G.

7 A desulphurizing, calcining, heating, or drying shaft-furnace for iineore or other fine materials, arranged, as above specified, to sub jectthe ore or other materials to the action of the heated gases for alonger or shorter time, as may be necessary.

FDVARD CHARLES HEGELER. FREDERICK WILLIAM MATIHIESSEN.

Witnesses CHARLES S. MILLER, WM. T. MAsoN.

